Following the advent of larger scale electricity harnessing dating back to the 19th century, a myriad of electricity powered devices more or less facilitating the life of individuals through automation have been set forth ever since in many different contexts like industry, office and home. Home automation or generally building automation incorporates various aspects relating to the integrated, typically centralized and computerized control of different appliances such as fridges, freezers, and audio/video equipment, heating and ventilation devices, security systems and other monitoring or locking solutions, watering and generally water control, communication devices, not forgetting one of the most important applications, namely lighting. In the automation of lighting, rather self-evident goals such as optimized lighting conditions in terms of brightness/intensity, color and direction, and energy conservation are usually sought after.
Lighting automation systems have traditionally been both complicated and expensive industrial-scale solutions that have practically necessitated using special luminaires and conducting preparatory actions prior to or, at the latest, upon installation thereof through pre-wiring the walls and related other fixed structures in the target environment, for instance. Obviously, such traditional ‘smart lighting’ arrangements, or in more technical terms, lighting control systems, have been pricey and therefore unsuitable for use with many if not most ordinary residential spaces such as private houses and even typical industrial or office scale premises. Indeed, they have required using physically installed dedicated wires/data buses and a number of central computers with use-specific user interfaces (UI) such as touch panel-included wall-installed terminals in addition to the special luminaires to provide the designed overall functionality and adjustability as advertised in the product marketing materials. One evident further drawback of such tailored hardware-based solutions resides in the obviously growing number of required processing and control apparatuses, which can actually be surprisingly annoying everyday phenomenon that is already well realized by all those who have e.g. few remote controller provided consumer electronics devices, air conditioners, alarm devices, etc. at home. What ultimately happens is that multiple remote controls are lying around on tables and degrade the aesthetics of the living room by making it look somewhat messy but still, the right one cannot be easily located for brief use such as a single adjustment action when needed.